Matt Damon Left Footprint on Microfinance Before ‘Martian’

Matt damon, the lead actor in the film ‘The Martian’ was not new to charity and microfinance sector as his non-profit Water.org was known for its funding of many project in Africa and South Asia, including India.

The Martian hero been known for his charitable works, including the ONE Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, besides Water.org.

Damon was the founder of H2O Africa Foundation, the charitable arm of the Running the Sahara with focus on drinking water for poor people. It later merged with WaterPartners to create Water.org in July 2009. Water.org provides funding for WaterCredit, to help the poor get micro-credit or loans to access safe drinking water.

“There will never be enough charity in the world to solve this problem. What we need to do is double down on smart solutions like WaterCredit which can rapidly scale safe water and sanitation access for families that are in desperate need right now,” said Matt Damon, while accepting Pepsico grants few years ago.

Matt Damon

Damon, along with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, is one of the founders of “Not On Our Watch Project” that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities such as in Darfur.

Damon has supported the ONE Campaign, which is aimed at fighting AIDS and poverty in Third World countries and appeared in their print and television advertising.

Damon is also an ambassador for ONEXONE, a non-profit supporting children in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Damon is also a spokesperson for Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization, and a member of their Entertainment Council, participating in their Ad Council public service announcements.

Damon is also a board member of Tonic Mailstopper that seeks to stop junk mail being delivered to millions of American homes each day.